Bondi National Surfing Reserve encompasses Australia’s best known and most famous beach. The iconic beach lies in a arch between the northern Ben Buckler and southern Mackenzies Point. Bondi is the traditional home of the Gadigal who lived in the dunes and swam and fished the beach and rock platforms. They continued to camp in the region until about 1900 when they relocated to La Perouse, but still used to return to fish.
Bondi is located just 7 km from downtown Sydney and was connected by tram as early as 1884, and is now surrounded by the densely populated Eastern Suburbs, this combined with a kilometer of wide golden sand makes it Australia’s most popular beach. It faces southeast into the prevailing swell resulting in a consistent and energetic (and hazardous) surf with some sheltering towards the northern end. Rips also dominate the surf zone with the permanent southern rip against the rocks known as the ‘Backpacker Express’. These dangers were recognised early on with the two surf life saving clubs, North Bondi and Bondi, both founded in 1907. In February 1938 a set of higher waves and ensuing rip carried 200 bathers out to sea resulting in a mass rescue, a day since known as “Black Sunday”. The northern and southern rock platforms are also site of rock pools, the southern home to the famous ‘Bondi Icebergs’ founded in 1929. The beach has also had professional lifeguards patrolling the beach since 1913.
Today with two lifeguard towers on the beach they patrol every day of the year and have been made famous by the popular ‘Bondi Rescue’ TV series. The beach is home to a number of boardriding clubs: the South Bondi Surfboard Riders Club was founded in 1956 and lasted until 1968. Famous members included Bluey Mayes, Barry “Magoo” McGuigan, Scott Dillon and Mick Dooley, with Midget Farrelly also learning to surf at Bondi. The legacy however lives on in the Bondi Boardriders Club founded in 1985 whose members included WCT competitors Cheyne Horan, Richard Cram and Joe Engels, the Bondi Longboard Club and the Bondi Girls Surfrider founded in 1999.